Ziro Hits The Market
Ziro sells for around $200.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA motion-controlled robotic toy invented by a Purdue University professor hits the global market today. Ziro, which gained national attention earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is controlled by a glove with special sensors and can be made out of many household materials. As first reported in the INdiana Connections e-newsletter, Ziro is available for sale through Indiegogo Inc. and could hit retail store shelves in the future.
The toy is available through the international crowdfunding website with a price of around $200. Retailers could pick up the product depending on its performance. The Ziro robotic kit can bend and rotate in different directions, thanks to wireless "joints" controlled by the sensors build into the glove. Users can attach their own material to the joints using Velcro.
Purdue Professor of Mechanical Engineering Karthik Ramani invented Ziro, and says it is a small example of the capability of motion-controlled robots. He says, maybe as soon as 10 years in the future, robots could be working on an assembly line controlled by human hand gestures. He says Ziro helps put that technology in the hands of tomorrow’s work force.
Ziro was a hit at CES 2016, receiving one of three "Best Maker-Friendly Technology" awards.